Hearing the outrageous orders Tsunade and Jiraiya swallowed back a string of vicious curses, unsure of what to even say.
Orochimaru, however, simply smiled at Jie's words. "I understand, Jie. I believe the Iwa shinobi will be pleasantly surprised when they greet Konoha's delegation."
Jie smiled and nodded. As expected, Orochimaru understood him best.
With a single command from Jie, the entire village mobilized. Since the war with Kumogakure had ended so quickly, Konoha's strategic supplies were still fully stocked. Because of this, it took less than half a day to assemble the massive force.
Just like before the war with Kumo, a sea of Konoha shinobi gathered in the plaza outside the Hokage Building. Only this time, Jie wasn't standing down below at the forefront of the Uchiha clan.
He stood at the very top.
Looking down at the thousands of shinobi brimming with battle intent, a faint smile touched Jie's lips. An immense sense of satisfaction washed over him.
'Perhaps this is the joy of playing a simulation game', he mused.
"Shinobi of Konoha!" Jie's voice echoed across the massive crowd. "Iwagakure demands that we pay them an annual tribute in exchange for a false peace! Tell me, do we accept this?!"
"No!"
"Never!"
The furious roar of the Konoha shinobi shook the air in unison.
"Since we refuse, let's show Iwagakure what true peace looks like!" Jie shouted. "True peace is Iwagakure paying tribute to Konoha every single year! Am I right?!"
"Right!"
"Exactly!"
"Then follow in the footsteps of the Sannin and march on Iwagakure!" Jie declared, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "Teach Iwa the true meaning of peace! All forces, move out!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
The deafening battle cry rolled through the village like thunder. Under the strict command of their respective clan heads, the massive army marched out in perfect order, their sights set straight on the Land of Earth.
"That kid really is a natural-born Hokage." Jiraiya sighed in genuine admiration as he watched the army march out. "His words were so simple. The logic was even a bit twisted. Yet he somehow made everyone believe in him. I guess that's what you call the quality of a leader."
Surprisingly, Orochimaru nodded in agreement.
"He is the most unique shinobi I have ever seen," Orochimaru said smoothly. "If his talent wasn't so monstrous, I might have considered taking him as a disciple. What a pity."
Jiraiya nodded. He couldn't argue with that.
"Perhaps he is the one the Great Toad Sage spoke of... the one who will bring true change to the shinobi world," Orochimaru mused. He licked his lips, a dark, profound smile playing across his face.
"Change?" Jiraiya muttered. "Perhaps."
"Well then. The Konoha forces should be clear of the village by now. It's time we set off as well." With those calm words, Orochimaru disappeared in a blur of motion.
Jiraiya and Tsunade quickly followed suit, vanishing from the rooftop to catch up with their teammate.
Meanwhile, after fleeing Konoha and traveling for two days and two nights straight without a wink of sleep, Kitsuchi and Toshijin finally arrived back at Iwagakure.
Ignoring his sheer exhaustion, Kitsuchi immediately burst into the Tsuchikage's office. "Old man, we have a massive problem!"
"Why are you panicking?" Onoki scolded, floating over to Kitsuchi with a deep frown. "Did Konoha refuse to sign the treaty?"
"Treaty?" Kitsuchi said frantically. "Forget about the treaty, old man! The Legendary Sannin have returned to Konoha!"
"The Sannin?" Onoki narrowed his eyes. "Are you absolutely certain of their return?"
"Yes! All three are back in the village. In fact, they were the ones who negotiated with us!" Kitsuchi nodded emphatically.
"Is that so?" Onoki sighed, shaking his head. "Then this is going to be troublesome."
The Sannin were at the absolute peak of their power. Each of them possessed undeniable strength. With all three back, Konoha now boasted three Kage-level fighters.
And that was on top of their Fifth Hokage, whose true power remained terrifyingly unknown.
This was incredibly bad news for Iwagakure.
With that kind of overwhelming strength, why would Konoha ever agree to a peace treaty where they paid tribute? Honestly, it would be a miracle if they didn't attack outright.
Still, Onoki wasn't too worried about a full-scale invasion.
Iwagakure was nestled deep within treacherous mountain ranges. It was a natural fortress—easy to defend and a nightmare to attack.
Furthermore, Konoha had just survived back-to-back wars and internal strife. Even if their elite fighters were ready to go, the logistical strain on their regular shinobi would be too massive to handle.
Plus, that brat of a Hokage had just taken office. No matter how you looked at it, he wasn't going to start a major war right off the bat.
Unfortunately, the very second that comforting thought crossed Onoki's mind, an urgent report from an Iwa scout ruthlessly shattered the peace.
"What do you mean Konoha's army has already reached our borders?!" Onoki roared, grabbing the messenger shinobi by the collar. "When did this happen?! How was there absolutely no warning?!"
Beside him, Kitsuchi stood frozen in shock.
"How is this possible?" Kitsuchi muttered blankly. "When I left Konoha, they hadn't made a single move. How did everything completely change in just two days?"
But Onoki couldn't afford to waste time wondering how a massive enemy force had practically teleported to their doorstep. His absolute top priority was assembling Iwagakure's army to resist the invasion.
Thinking of the village's current state, the Tsuchikage could only grit his teeth in frustration.
Working at a breakneck pace, Iwagakure scraped together roughly four thousand combat-ready shinobi in just half a day. Without a second's delay, they marched for the border.
This time, Onoki took personal command.
It took them over a day of hard travel to reach the edge of the Land of Earth. By the time Onoki and his army arrived, Konoha's forces had long since finished setting up camp. They were fully rested and waiting comfortably, perfectly positioned to strike an exhausted enemy.
"Just as expected. That old geezer Onoki is leading them personally," Orochimaru calmly analyzed, listening to the scout reports. "His Kekkei Tōta is still quite the threat. But other than him, there isn't a single Iwa shinobi worth our attention."
In terms of pure, raw strength, Orochimaru might not be the strongest of the Sannin. Once Jiraiya activated Senjutsu, his power easily surpassed Orochimaru's.
But when it came to military command and strategic warfare? Jiraiya and Tsunade couldn't even hold a candle to him.
After all, during the Third Great Ninja War, Orochimaru had single-handedly commanded a Konoha army against an entire hidden village.
Facing these scattered Iwa shinobi now was a walk in the park.
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